Yvette Miller, Kim Nairn, and Kate GannonMurdoch University

Portec Veterinary Services

Pigs

Lecture 1 ANS 101 / VET 242 2012

Pig industry overview

Why are pigs important? How did the pig industry develop? What pig breeds are involved? How is the industry structured? What are the key performance indicators? What influences these key performance

indicators?

Why are pigs important?

Meat – 40% of the global meat consumption Skin and leather products Pharmaceutical products – heart valves

Pleasure and company – pet pigs

MEAT

Yes… all from one wonderful, magical animal!

Pork cuts

Country Millions of pigs

China 460 (62% global pork eaten in China)

India 17

Indonesia 6

Korea North 3

Korea South 9

Malaysia 2

Myanmar 4

New Zealand 0.4

Philippines 12

Taiwan 7

Thailand 7

Vietnam 22

Our impact on the planet – The Carbon Footprint of Pork

Food kg CO2-e/kg (20 years) kg CO2-e/kg (100 years)

Beef 111.1 55.5

Sheep meat and wool 96.3 32.7

Pig meat 10.5 3.5

Rice 2.4 0.74

Poultry 1.3 0.38

Wheat 0.35 0.32

The Artiodactyla – even toes

Pigs Also cattle and camels And even related to the whales - Ambulocetus

One of the early pigs

Entelodont

Today's suina - suborder

Hippopotamdae

Tayassuidae

Suidae

Sus scrofa – The domestic pig

Large whiteLandrace

DurocHampshire

Tamworth

Berkshire

MeishanDuroc x LW

Meishan

How did the pig industry develop

Small numbers of pigs per farmer Side business to other farming = grain

production and/or dairy (to use by-products)

Feeding pigs in WA

Barley and Wheat = main grains (energy) Lupins and canola = protein. Swill feeding is illegal:

– Meat and bone meal does not count (heat treated)

– Definition is different between states of Australia

The global change in pork $

Pork price, feed price and farmers…

State Percentage

NSW 30Queensland 21

Victoria 19South Australia 17

Western Australia 12

Where is the grain?Where are the pigs?

Western Australia

26,000 sows. Major foreign market Singapore

Sow Herd WA

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

1992 2001 2004 2007

Year

So

ws

0

200

400

600

800

1000

Pro

du

cers

Sows

Producers

How is the industry structured?

Multiplication farms6000 sows

Commercial farms90,000 sows

Males(boars)

Females(gilts)

Nucleus farm500 sows

How is the farm designed

Breeding

Gestation115 days

Farrowing

Weaning

Grow/finish

SlaughterSelection

Nucleus farm

Basic Pig Life Cycle

Lets walk the farm…

Breeder shed Gestation shed Farrowing shed Weaner shed Grower/Finisher shed

And speak the jargon and key performance indicators as we go…

Breeder shed

• Boar – entire male • Barrow/Castrate – surgically castrated • Gilt – birth to first litter female• Sow – breeding female has had a litter

Breeder / Gestation shed – key performance indicators

Target Interference

Wean to re-mate (service) interval

5 days >7 days

Sow feed in tonnes / year

1.1 >1.2

Farrowing rate 87 % <82 %

• Breeding/service/mating – As implied• Wean to service/breeding interval – Number of days between weaning and breeding • Repeat/Return – Failure to conceive (18-24 days)• Farrowing rate – Number females farrowed/Number females bred• Culling – Removal from herd/farm (eg. parity >6)

Gestation shed

Parity = Number of farrowings.

Gestation = state of pregnancy

Dry Sow = period other than lactating

Farrowing shed

• Litter = group of piglets reared by a sow

• Piglet/Sucker = piglet still on a sow

• Farrowing = parturition / giving birth

• Lactating = producing milk

Farrowing shed – key performance indicators

Target Interference

Pigs born alive/sow

10.9 <10.4

Pre-weaning mortality

10 % >14%

Pre-weaning mortality – % piglet deaths between birth and weaning

Pigs sold per sow per year

23 <21.5

Stillborn

Mummified foetus or Mummy

Target <7%

Interference >10%

Target <1.5%

Interference >2.5%

Processing piglets

Castration

Teeth clipping

Iron injection

Ear notching

Tail docking

More jargon for farrowing shed…

Fostering – practice of swapping piglets across litters

Colostrum – antibody rich milk Body condition score

Weaner shed

Weaning – removing piglets from the sow (usually 3-5 wks; 5-12kg)

Weaner – piglet from weaning until 10 weeks (30kg)

Grower/Finisher Shed

Grower (30-60kg; 10-16 wks) Finisher (60-110kg; 16-26 wks)

Post-weaning – key performance indicators

Target Interference

Post-weaning mortality

3% 5%

Feed conversion ratio (4-100kg)

2.2 >2.4

Average daily gain (g/day)

570 <520

• Post-weaning mortality = % piglet deaths after weaning

What influences the key performance indicators?

1. ANIMAL: Genetics

2. ENVIRONMENT (examples): FEED – particle size, FCR, mash vs steam

pelleted diets. WATER – water access, flow rates AIR – gases, drafts, temperature FLOOR – stocking rate

Code of Welfare - Pigs

Web resource

http://www.portec.com.au